Realignment Of Classes Topic Of Forum

COVENTRY — Supporters and opponents of the board of education's proposal to realign the elementary schools will have their chance to speak out Thursday at an open forum.

The forum, the second to be held on the proposal, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Coventry High School auditorium.

Representatives from both elementary schools and Capt. Nathan Hale Middle School will speak, as will Jonathan Kreisberg, a member of the school board and the school building committee.

A December forum on the realignment proposal drew just 10 residents, and the board is hoping for more input this time, said board Chairwoman Linda Scussel.

``It's been in the air for a long time and we haven't gotten a lot of feedback,'' Scussel said.

Under the proposed realignment, Coventry Grammar School would accept students in kindergarten through second grade, while Robertson School would take in the town's third-, fourth- and fifth-graders.

Both elementary schools currently house students in kindergarten through fourth grade, while the middle school accommodates students in grades 5 through 8. Under a previous board decision, fifth-graders will be moved back to the elementary schools.

All plans hinge on approval through a townwide referendum of a $29 million building project for the town's schools. If approved, the project, which would call for expansion at the high school and middle schools and additions and renovations at Robertson School, is expected to begin in 1998 and end in 2000.

School officials say the realignment proposal would save the town money by putting all the resources needed for each grade in one school. The move would let teachers coordinate curriculum, said Michael Malinowski, superintendent of schools.

But opponents of the proposal say it will disrupt school continuity by making students change schools after second grade. Many also question the transportation plan, in which school buses would make stops at both schools.

The town would use 19 bus routes, four more than it does now, to implement the plan. The buses would deliver students to both schools, but would have a smaller geographic pickup area, said John Guinan, the school system's business manager.

``The goal is not to have any student on a bus for longer than 45 minutes,'' Guinan said.

The town is under contract with Laidlaw Bus Co. of Willimantic. The town pays about $35,000 per bus per year, Guinan said.